Ghost hauntings of Chillingham castle. Haunted Castle.

In a secluded setting in Northumberland's famous countryside stands a 12th Century stronghold known as Chillingham Castle. It's reputed to be one fo the most haunted castles in the UK. It is surrounded by lawns and gardens with dense woodland. It has been owned by the Earls Grey and their relations since the 1200's. The drawing room which is famous for its restored Elizabethan ceiling was named after the King who visited Chillingham in 1617. There are many active restorations of complex masonry, ornamental plaster and metalwork which are done with taste and authenticity.

The most ancient room in the Castle is the Edward 1st room where the Lords of the castle sat well protected and high above the stench below. The room is named after the visit of proud Edward 'Hammer

of the Scots' King Edward 1st, in 1298, for whom the gothic window was installed. Around the Castle you will find armour, furniture and weapons of the time. There is the Medieval Banqueting Hall with its stone flagged floors, tapestries, armour and weaponry displayed. The Castle also houses many valuable paintings of historic Kings such as Charles 1 and James II and historic figures such as Judge Jeffries and Lord Bacon.

Chillingham Castle also has a remarkable and sinister torture chamber. This is not for the faint hearted, the torture chamber still has on display some of the most vicious and gruesome instruments used for punishments. These include a stretching rack, a bed of nails, a nailed barrel and a spiked chair labelled with a warning not to sit on it, so please bring a torch. The most daunting sight is the calm and serene face of the Iron Maiden with it's sinister and horrible larger than life sized hinged metal casing for a live body. There are also the thumb screws, chains, leg irons, man traps and branding irons. If that is not enough there is the castle dungeon which is lit only by a narrow slit in the thick wall and marked with the crudely cut scribbled letters of previous unhappy prisoners. There is a trap door in the floor through which can be seen the very genuine bones of a child in the vault below.

Chillingham Castle has a number of ghosts which haunt its vast corridors. The most famous is the Blue Boy who cries and moans in agony or maybe fear at midnight. The moans can be traced to a spot near the passage cut through a ten foot wall. As the screams die away a halo of light can be seen surrounding a four poster bed. Anyone who sleeps there can see the figure of a boy dressed in blue. Other ghosts include Lady Mary Berkeley who has been sighted wandering around looking desolate and broken hearted. She is thought to be searching for her sister, Lady Mary. People have heard the rustle of her dress as she has floated by and others have been lucky (or should I say unlucky) enough to have seen her. There are many more ghosts who inhabit this fantastically haunted location, and if we ever investigate Chillingham castle, we hope to meet them.

Chillingham Castle has been documented in many books and Television programs for it's haunted history. Most Haunted visited Chillingham Castle in 2002 where Derek Acorah the medium was supposedly able to pick up on a spirit of a little boy who was trapped behind a wall. It was later confirmed that a body of a child was found behind the fireplace.